Long-term performance of heat exchanger piles

• Published in: Acta geotechnica Vol. 10; no. 5; pp. 553 - 569
• Main Authors: Olgun, C. Guney, Ozudogru, Tolga Y., Abdelaziz, Sherif L., Senol, Aykut
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.10.2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alternative energy sources; Climatic conditions; Complex Fluids and Microfluidics; Constants; Demand; Demand analysis; Energy consumption; Energy demand; Energy management; Engineering; Foundations; Geoengineering; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Grounds; Heat exchangers; Hydraulics; Piles; Renewable energy sources; Research Paper; Simulation; Soft and Granular Matter; Soil Science & Conservation; Solid Mechanics; Storage capacity; Sustainable use; Thermal storage; Numerical modeling; Energy demand; Long-term performance; Thermo-mechanical behavior; Heat exchanger pile
• ISSN: 1861-1125; 1861-1133
• DOI: 10.1007/s11440-014-0334-z

Heat exchanger piles utilize the constant temperature and the thermal storage capacity of the ground for heating and cooling of buildings. Sustainable use of the ground as a renewable energy source depends on the seasonal energy load balance. One of the critical factors for the sustainable operation of heat exchanger piles is that a constant temperature of the ground is maintained over seasons. The entire soil mass can be gradually heated up or cooled down if the energy demand is unbalanced. This paper presents the findings on the long-term performance of heat exchanger piles and their efficiency for areas where the demand is nonsymmetrical. Analyses have been performed to investigate the long-term performance of several pile arrangements ranging from single pile to numerous pile groups with a selection of 2 × 2, 3 × 3, 4 × 4 and 5 × 5 rectangular grids. The thermo-mechanical behavior of the single pile was also investigated. The analyses simulated 30 years of pile operation and resulted in significant findings for long-term performance of heat exchanger piles under different climatic conditions.